Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-08-05
FARM AND GARDEN.
BEANS AND WET WEATHER.

touches the leaves when wet by rains
or dews it Injuries them, by causing
rust. This is especially true after bios
soming begins, and it is better to have
all the works of cultivation and hoeing
finished before that time.
TOO MUCH PARIS GREEN.
Most farmers have learned how to
use Pars green by thoroughly mixing
one pound of poison with 100 or more
of finely ground plaster. Occasionally
some inexperienced person uses more.
and always with bad results. Too
much Paris green kills tender foliage
Of young potato plants, and it will not
kill the bugs, as it repels them and they
do not eat il.
CLEANING MUD FROM bitches.
In open bitches the sediment at the
bottom after the Spring floods have
subsidized is generally rich, and will re-
pay the labor of cleaning out to use as
manure. If thrown on heaps and al
lowed to dry out it may be carried
away with less labor than if tackled
while wet. This dried sediment is an
excellent mulch for bearing trees. 1t
keeps down the grass and draws the
roots of the tree nearer the surface.
OATS FOR GROWING COLTS.
There is no age in the horses life
when oats are not good feed for him.
A young colt may be taught to eat
them very early, and they are abso-
lutely necessary when the mares
milk begins to fail. or it becomes time
to wean him. If oats are scarce divide
them between the growing colts and
the working or driving teams. The
latter have learned to eat anything,
and in careless hands are often over
fed with grain to save the labor of the
grooming needed to keep them in
good condit on for working.
wHITEwAsHING APPLE TREES
The practice of going over orchards
every year or two with whitewash
brush and daubing the trunks is not so
common as it used to be. Farmers
have learned that there is no advant-
age in it. The lime forms in scales,
making hiding places for the worm of
the codling moth. 1t is also unsightly.
Washing the trunks with strong soap
or I've water from potash makes no
show, but in most cases is most bene-
fetal. The soap and water destroys
many insects and their eggs.
YARDING COWS AT NIGHT.
Unless the pasture lot is very close
to the barn or house cows are usually
brought up at night and kept in the
yard until morning. This saves labor
but it is not SO good for milk produc-
ton as leaving cows ut pastures during
the night In hot weather they will do
their principal feeding at night and
early morning. while the dew is on the
grass. At midday they will seek shade
and remain until five or six o'clock in
the afternoon. when they will begin
feeding again.
CUCUMBERs FOR PICKLES.
1t is not yet too late to plant cucum-
bers for pickles, and, in fact, those
planted near the first of July often
yield until frost spoils the vines, when
the earlier planted are burned by the
heats of midsummer. BY picking the
vines intended for pickles very closely
every day, they may be kept in bear
ing long time. 1t is seed production
| tI,.t fo
small, the cucumber has scarcely sign
of seed. When it grows larger the
seed becomes its most important part.
TOO AMBITIOUS CHICKS.
When hen is we'll fed and begins
to want to lay while rearing her brood
of chicks, she will try to wean them
prematurely. 1t is rather too warm
in midsummer both for hen and the
chicks. to cover them close to the
ground every night, and she will vary
the performance by enticing them to
the roosting- places. This should be
prevented until the chicks are ten or
twelve weeks old, They become
crooked backed from the strain OF
standing on the roost all night before
their bones have acquired due solidity
and tirmness.
PRUNING CHERRY TREES.
The cherry tree when in full bearing
needs little pruning except what il
necessarily gets in picking time by
breaking of small twigs. Sometimes
this is rather too much. and the tree
after its crop is off presents a most
dilapidatcd appearance. But trees
picked regularly bear better crops than
those where the fruit is not gathered.
ihe fruit is also less likely to rot, as
the thinning out of branches lets in
sunlight. Wherever the crop invari
ably rots so as to be worthless clearing
out the centre Of the tree will remedy
the evil, and it may be best to do il
now to start fruit buds for next year
crops.
CUTTING CLOVER CLOSE.